Water cooler for refrigerators



g- 1949- J. w. ALEXANDER WATER COOLER FOR REFRIGERATORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 13, 1946 Filed Bed. 13, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 9, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT orries WATER COOLER FOR REFRIGEBATURS Jessie W. Alexander, Sweetwater, Tex. Application December 13, 1946, Serial No. 716,105 2 Clalms. (Cl. 62-141) This invention relates to a water cooler for refrigerators, and more particularly to a watercooling unit combined with a refrigerator having a refrigerating system of conventional design. whereby water for drinking or other purposes can be cooled without freezing the same and stored for use or supplied continuously without the necessity for refilling the cooler.

The invention has for its chief object the provision of a water-cooling unit installed in a refrigerator having conventional cooling means, with a minimum reduction of the available cooling capacity of the refrigerator.

A further object of the invention is to provide water-cooling means in conjunction with a conventional type of refrigerating unit together with means for preventing the freezing of the water being cooled, so that water for drinking purposes can be conveniently stored or continuously supplied for use.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a water-cooling device of simple design and rugged construction, having no complicated parts likely to become worn or broken, and so designed as to occupy a minimum of refrigerating space while acting as an auxiliary storage device particularly useful for foods or other substances not requiring temperatures lower than the freezing of water for their preservation.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention are accomplished by the provision of a water cooler in the form of a unitary cooling coil positioned in a refrigerator in proximity to a conventional refrigerating device and adapted for attachment to any convenient water supply in the vicinity of the refrigerator. The watercoollng coil is constructed of a shape to fit closely within the available refrigerating space, and has means for supporting within the coil containers for food or other substances not requiring to be maintained at a temperature below freezing. Insulating means is also positioned between the water-cooling coil and the conventional refrigerating system to prevent the freezing of the water in the water-cooling coll.

The invention will best be understood from the following description constituting a' specification of the same, when taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a front elevational view of a portion of a refrigerator, partially broken away, to illustrate the manner in which the water-cooling unit is constructed and mounted in the refrigerator;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the refrigerator.

partly broken away and partly in section, taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a portion of the refrigerator, showing the means provided for withdrawing water from the water-cooling unit;

Figure 4 is a detail view, partly in section. illustrating the manner in which the inlet end oi the cooling coll passes through the wall of the refrigerator, and the means for securing a tight connection between the inlet pipe and the wall;

Figure 5 is a perspectiveview of the insulating means positioned between the water-cooling unit and the conventional refrigerating system of the refrigerator; and

Figure 6 is a detail view in cross-section of the supporting means attached to the water-cooling coil for the support of containers fitting within the coil for the storage of foods or other substances under refrigeration.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, the water-cooling unit of the invention is adapted for convenient installation in a refrigerator I, having inner and outer walls 2 and 3 between which a' suitable insulating material 4 is inserted. The outer wall 3 of the refrigerator is provided with a recess 6 in its side wall, portions of the outer wall extending inwardly to join the inner wall 2, as best seen in Figures 1 and 2. This recess forms a housing within which the means for withdrawing water from the cooling coil is located.

The refrigerator is provided with any suitable type of conventional refrigerating unit indicated generally by the numeral 8, having the usual containers indicated by 9 for the freezing of ice cubes, or the like. The refrigerator also has the usual hinged door ll through which access to the refrigerating space is gained.

The water-cooling coil, indicated by H, is preferably of rectangular form to fit within the space between the refrigerating unit 8 and the side Wall of the refrigerator, and to enclose a rectangular space for utilization as a storage space for sub-.

stances not requiring a temperature below freezing for their preservation. The cooling coil may be of any convenient length, depending upon the amount of cold water which it is desired to have the cooling unit deliver. When designed for continuous use, such as in a. restaurant where large amounts of cold water are required, the cooling coil I2 must, of course, be much longer than when designed for home use where drinking water is ordinarily used in small quantities and is stored in the refrigerator for occasional needs. The coil i2 is preferably in the form of a metal pipe of suitable diameter and thickness adapted to the particular size of unit which is to be provided, and has an inlet portion l4 extending through the back of the refrigerator for attachment to any convenient water supply. The portion ll extends through openings in the walls 2 and 3 of the refrigerator, and is provided at the inside and outside of these walls with close fitting washers l5 of suitable material adapted to form a tight seal about the openings.

The cooling'coil is preferably suspended from v the top of the inside wall of the refrigerator by convenient straps l1, within which the turns of the coil rest and which are secured to the top of the refrigerator by suitable screws l8, or the like.

An outlet portion 20 of the cooling coil extends from the forward end of the same out through the side wall of the refrigerator into the recess 6. As will be plainly seen in Figures 1 and 2, the outlet portion 20 passes through only the inner wall 20 in the region where the outer wall 3 is oined to the same within the recess 6. A washer similar to the washers I5 is positioned on the outlet pipe 20, as indicated at 22, against the inside of the wall 2, and a nut 23 is threaded upon the outside portion of the outlet pipe 20 to secure the same in close engagement with the wall 2. Upon the outer end of the outlet pipe 20 a valve 24 is located by which cold water is drawn of! from the cooling coil as required. It will be seen that the valve 24 is completely within the recess 3, and thus is protected from damage which might otherwise occur to a valve projecting beyond the outer wall of the refrigerator. The bottom of the recess 6 is formed with a depressed portion 23 from which a drain pipe between the inner and outer walls of the refrigerator for carrying off waste water from the recess.

Between the water-cooling coil l2 and the cooling unit 8 of the refrigerator, a suitable insulating device 29 is provided, of a nature to prevent the freezing of the water in the cooling coil. The insulation 29 may be in the form of any suitable sheet material, such as plastic, or other material possessing physical characteristics rendering the same capable of the use to which it is to be put. form of a rectangular sheet of suitable thickness, suspended from the top of the refrigerator by a pair of hooks 30 attached to eyes 3| secured to the top of the refrigerator.

Bars 33 may be secured to the sides of the rectangular cooling coil by means of the nuts and bolts 34 and 35 inserted between the turns of the coil, and supporting rails 36 are secured within the cooling coil by being threaded upon the free ends of the bolts 35. The supporting rails preferably extend the entire length of the inside of the cooling coil, and are adapted to support a suitable type of container 38 having outturned flanges 39 resting upon the-tops of the supporting rails. Only one set of supporting rails 36 and one container 38 are shown in the drawings, but it will be understood that as many such containers as are desired can be supported within the cooling coil in the same manner. It will be seen from an inspection of the drawings that the containers 38 can be readily removed from within 'the cooling coil, and these containers are intended to contain such substances as do not require a temperature below freezing for preserval on."

The invention as described above constitutes a watercooling unit in combination with a refrigerator, whereby a constant supply of cold water is always available, and at the same time, the available storage space within the refrigerator is reduced only slightly, thus making it possible to provide in a single unitary structure an efllcient and sanitary means for cooling water, without interfering with the proper refrigerating portions of the refrigerator.

It will be noted that the water-cooling unit is entirely closed, so that the water in its passage through the refrigerator is not subjected to any undesirable atmospheric conditions, and cannot acquire any disagreeable taste or odor from the foods or other substances stored inside the refrigerator.

It will, of course, be understood that the abovedescribed embodiment of the invention is in- 21 extends downwardly tended for purposes of illustration only, and many changes and modifications within the skill of a mechanic can be made in the form and proportions of the various parts, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus clearly shown and described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A mechanical refrigerator including a cabinet, a refrigerating unit located in the cabinet to provide a space between the same and a wall of said cabinet, a water cooling coil in the form of a horizontally disposed helix in the space between said refrigerating unit and said wall, a vertically disposed sheet of insulating material interposed between said helix and said refrigerating unit for preventing freezing of the water in said helix, and at least one pair of horizontally disposed supporting rails arranged in opposed relation within said helix for supporting a container thereon.

2. A mechanical refrigerator including a cabinet, a refrigerating unit located in the cabinet to provide a space between the same and a wall of said cabinet, a water cooling coil in the form of The insulation 29 may be in the a horizontally disposed helix in the space between said refrigerating unit and said wall, said wall being provided with a recess in the exterior face thereof, an outlet having one end in communication with said helix and having the other end extending through said wall and. terminating in said recess, a valve on said other end of said outlet for controlling the discharge of cooled 'water therefrom, a vertically disposed sheet of insulating material interposed between said helix and said refrigerating unit for preventing freezing of the water in said helix, and at least one pair of horizontally disposed supporting rails arranged in opposed relation within said helix for supporting a container thereon.

JESSIE W. ALEXANDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

